KH: Only Hope
by Celyne
Summary: Traverse Town has been destroyed by the Heartless. Leon, Aeris, Yuffie and Cid struggle to keep sight of the hopes ad dreams that drive them to continue fighting. (Temporary Title - A/U - Moderately violent scenes)
1. I : Leon

Disclaimer: I haven't played Kingdom Hearts yet! However, I have spoiled it for myself already…hehe…^_^;;; So, forgive any inconsistencies you find in the fic from the game. Hee hee J 

**Chapter 1:**

The Heartless came from every direction by the hundreds. Their dark shadows blotted out the colors of the Town. Soon, the brilliance would disappear as it had happened in the past. The hopelessness that pierced Leon in the heart was even more than what his body felt. 

Lying on his back, in a pool of his own blood. Looking up into a dark, black sky. There were no stars, no moon. The buildings around him slowly fell apart and crumbled into the shadows. He could hear the screams of the people echoing through the rumble of the dying city. 

It would happen again. They've lost their world. 

They…

Her…

He could not breathe anymore. His chest hurt, as though his lungs have submitted themselves to the hopelessness. Blood gurgled up his throat, choking him even more. He heaved and hacked desperately to force air into his lungs. His vision blurred from the tears and pain. 

His body convulsed violently at the absence of air. His cry was voiceless. 

The last thing Leon saw was his outstretched arm before him fading away into the shadows. 

The heartless laughed.

-------

Suddenly, he sprang up on a bed.  Coughing madly in a futile attempt to relieve himself of the pain. He pressed one hand against his mouth, yet blood seeped through his fingers. His chest burned, his arms were sore and his head continued to torture him with a dull, heavy pounding. 

He could still hear the evil laughter. The visions of his dying Town swam across his head. 

Slowly, the painful fit eased away. Leon clutched his heaving chest and took quick gasps of air.  As his lungs filled with the much needed air, he became aware of the other injuries that plagued his body. Wounds and bruises made themselves known to him all at the same time it made him feel faint and even weaker. 

He fell back on the bed from exhaustion. Not even noticing the two gentle hands the supported his head and chest as he lay down. 

It was dark and very cold. Leon shivered even as a warm blanket was placed over his body. The Heartless' laughter slowly faded away and melted into a strange mechanical whir. 

Someone was whispering. Somehow, it made him feel safer. A soft hand gently caressed his forehead. As gentle as her whispering his name. Again and again. 

Her…

He slowly opened his eyes and let themselves adjust to the dark surroundings. Although he felt the shadows still lurking, in this darkness, but it was calm now. The room was unfamiliar with the only source of light coming from a small window.  It was dark outside. 

She whispered again. His eyes slowly focused on the figure that loomed above him. It was of a woman's.  With great effort, he lifted one trembling hand to touch her face if only to confirm what he was seeing. He caressed her cold cheeks for a moment, desperately trying to recognize her. 

His heart leapt. He thought she had perished along with the Town. 

"Aeris…" 

She smiled and her warm tears began to soak his fingers. "You're awake!" She cried happily. "We were so worried about you, Leon." 

"Wh-where am I?" He asked weakly, still caressing her cheek in his hand. Afraid that she would disappear into the shadows as well. 

"We're in a Gummi Ship. It's been ten-eleven hours since we escaped Traverse Town." 

Traverse Town. Leon's expression grimed as he remembered the colorful Town disappear in his nightmare. "What happened to the Town?" He didn't have to ask, he knew the answer. Even if it tore his heart even more that the pain of his injuries, Leon had to confirm it.

Aeris' long silence was enough. 

His hand dropped to the bed and balled into tight fists. "It's gone too, isn't it?" 

Aeris nodded and brought one hand to wipe away her own tears. 

Leon shut his eyes and turned his face away from her. "Damn."  He was angry. Again, the Heartless were too strong for him. They took away their home again, now they were on the run. The darkness and the shadows were triumphant. Everything he saw and heard in that nightmare. Every ounce of pain and anguish from everyone that lived in Traverse Town was true. 

"But-but we're together, right, Leon?" Aeris' voice broke through his troubled thoughts. She was trying to smile for him, as she always had. But he could hear her voice breaking. "Yuffie, you, Cid…we all made it out. W-we'll find another home and---find a way to stop them again."

"For how long?" He replied coldly, still facing away from her. "We find a home…try to get stronger…fight them--- AGAIN and they always win!" 

"W-we just have to wait for Sora and the others to---"

"I'm getting TIRED of this, Aeris!" He snapped his face toward her. She flinched away from his furious face, and then attempted to regain her calm even as tears streamed down her beautiful face. 

Aeris took a deep breath, and then smiled sadly. "Please don't lose hope, Leon."  She lay her hand gently on his tight fist, before tucking him again in his warm blanket. With another warm smile, she stood up. "I have to attend to the others now. Yuffie should be here in a while with some food." 

He regretted just watching her leave the room. But the door closed before he could apologize. 

---------- 

Leon slowly made his way through the dim corridors of the Gummi Ship. The corridor outside his cabin was lined with the surviving townsfolk. Some lay on mattresses, while others lay on the cold wooden floor. Men, women and children sat morosely to themselves. Paying little attention to him or to anyone else. 

Already, their faces were gray with the shadow of despair. 

He limped onward. After Yuffie had fed him, he stubbornly tried to get out of bed and walk. He assessed that his worst injuries were a couple of broken ribs and swollen lump at the back of his head. He couldn't remember how he was hit, or how he escaped. Then again, with all the Heartless creatures jumping at him at the same time, no one could isolate one injury from the other. 

Yuffie escaped with a few bumps and scratches. She fell asleep while telling him how they found him and managed to escape. All the while her arms were wrapped around his waist. It wasn't like him to let anyone near. However, he knew that underneath her annoying talkativeness, she too had just lost a home. 

He let her sleep on his bed. Put on his white shirt and black pants and left the room.  

He passed through more corridors and rooms. More survivors greeted him. There were many on the ship, but not everyone from the town would have fit in. He spun around making his way back the corridor to find the cockpit, where he spotted a figure in pink in one of the rooms. 

Aeris had her back turned to the door while kneeling over a mattress where an old man lay. She was busy wiping the sweat from his haggard face with a towel; she didn't notice Leon step into the room. 

The room was larger than his cabin and was lit by a single candle. Eight or ten injured people lay on mattresses, while others slumped against the walls. Leon made his way to Aeris. As he got closer, he could hear her humming to the old man while gently holding his fragile hand in hers. 

"Aeris," He whispered, laying a hand on her shoulder. She jumped, startled and turned around to face him.

"You should be resting." She said quickly. 

"I came to tell you the same thing." Leon knelt down slowly beside her. Wincing at the pain from his broken ribs. "Yuffie has filled me in on the details. She's asleep right now. You should do the same." Although she looked haggard, she would never admit that she was a thousand times more tired than she appeared. 

Aeris shook her head slowly. "No, someone should be here for them when they wake up."  She tucked the old man's hand back in the blanket and looked at her hands on her lap. "You all fought very bravely. It's the least that I can do to---" Her voice trailed off and she just stared at her hands as teardrops fell on them. 

"I-I wish I could have done more." She whimpered. "A lot of people lost their homes and friends. This man lost his grandchild---and the other one lost his wife." 

"I'm sorry." Leon said. "Aeris, I shouldn't have---"

She looked at him. Tears streaming down her warm green eyes. "No, no, it's okay. We're all together, that's all that matters to me. I'm thankful, that it---it didn't happen to me." 

When she looked straight into Leon's eyes the world around him froze. All he could see was her lovely face in an expression of a frightened little child confessing a most sacred secret. He found his eyes drawn toward her trembling lips when she asked: "Am I being selfish?"

He wanted to answer outright that she was being foolish. But she began to weep uncontrollably. All of the frustration, anguish broke through her defenses. She covered her face with her hands and bent forward in a trembling heap. Immediately, Leon gently scooped her up by her shoulders and propped her against his chest. One arm firmly wrapped around her shoulders, the other hand gently caressing her head. 

"You silly girl," he said, pressing his cheek against her hair. "sometimes being selfish is the only thing that gives you hope." Leon closed his eyes and pressed her against him a little firmer. "I'll never lose hope, Aeris. If that's the only thing that would keep us together." 

He felt Aeris' arm encircle his waist.  He let her cry and he'd tirelessly comfort her. It was a while before she calmed down, when she had fallen asleep in his arms.

-------------

**_Notesies:_**_ I decided to use the spelling "Aeris" instead of "Aerith" more out of habit. __J_


	2. II: Yuffie

II : Yuffie   
  
Something told her to go back. Leon had given them strict orders to leave without him should Traverse Town fall. But she could not bear being separated from him, or any of her friends. The Heartless attacked them one at a time on their path toward the Gummi Ship. They were easy pie, however, there was a gnawing feeling in her chest that something went wrong.   
  
"Aeris!" Yuffie cried, pulling her friends hand. Aeris looked at her, alarmed. "Aeris, we can't leave Leon."   
  
Aeris' eyes went from the escaping townsfolk to her young ninja friend. A sea of trouble could be seen on her face. Like Yuffie, she was scared but was determined to keep everyone safe. "I know. But…"   
  
"I'm going back." Yuffie started to run toward the inferno without letting Aeris answer. She could hear her friend calling out her name, but she paid no heed to them. All she could see was Leon all alone in the Town fending off the Heartless while they escaped. He should have escaped with them. It was all-useless anyway.   
  
She knew that the Town would be lost.   
  
Braving her way through the burning streets, she fought of two or three of the vile creatures. She was far swifter than most of them and she had no time to waste. The more she saw her Town crumble, he more she became desperate to find Leon.   
  
She cried out his name while running. The streets were empty. The sky was lit ablaze by the fire. Above the crackle of the burning buildings, she could hear the laughter of the Heartless.   
  
A shadowy figure suddenly leapt from behind the rubble and caught her unaware. They both tumbled on the road. A few seconds later, Yuffie found herself looking at the dark countenance of a Heartless. She frantically grabbed her shuriken* and leapt onto her feet. There was another one above her, just waiting to join in the fray.   
  
The first Heartless leapt at her once again, and she avoided it. As she landed, the second Heartless attacked her. She slashed at it with her weapon, deeply wounding the creature. It wailed in pain, but did not retreat. Instead, it leapt at her and successfully pinned her to the ground.   
  
The two Heartless sneered at their victory. She thought it was over, when a familiar gunshot rang through the air.   
  
One of the creatures fell on it's side, defeated. The other slowly backed away from the three men that stood at the end of the alley.   
  
Yuffie's heart leapt with joy. "Leon!!"   
  
"What the HELL are you doing here!?" Leon scowled at her, roughly pulling her to her feet. He appeared to be unharmed, except for a few scratches and tears on his clothes. Before she could explain, he pulled her to a run toward the entrance of the Town. The other two men followed them, each of them brandishing makeshift weapons.   
  
"Where are the others?" Leon asked as they ran.   
  
"At the Gummi Ship. I don't think it's left yet." Yuffie answered. She hoped that Aeris had stalled Cid long enough to wait for them.   
  
All of a sudden Leon stopped and pushed her through an opening in the alley way. "Stay there." He barked out and held his sword at the ready. The other two men prepared themselves for a battle. Yuffie heard the characteristic growls and grunts of the Heartless, many of them, nearby.   
  
She collapsed against the wall of one of the buildings. Mentally cursing at their enemies for finding them when they were so close to getting away. The battle had begun. The horrible sound of metal and gunfire was loud against her ears. The Heartless continued to attack the last three defenders of the Town.   
  
She had to help. If they were going to die, she'd rather die fighting with Leon. Gripping her shuriken harder, she said a silent prayer that Aeris be kept safe.   
  
Yuffie stood up and started to run toward the opening, when a violent explosion shook her off her feet. She landed roughly on the ground as the vibrations continued to pummel her surroundings. Small bits of rock and wood fell on her, but none big enough to cause any serious injury.   
  
It was silent when the rumbling stopped. There were no Heartless to be heard, no gunshots, no fighting. She bolted up in alarm and sped toward the alleyway. "LEON!!"   
  
He was sprawled on the ground, twitching. Both his eyes were shut tight, and his face was distorted in pain. There were burns, on his arms and a terrible gash on his chest. Blood seeped through the wound, staining his white shirt and pooled onto the ground. He was still alive, but just barely.   
  
Yuffie fell on his side. Calling his name while tears filled her eyes. She cried for help, but she saw Leon's companions on the ground as well. One was groaning and attempting to stand up, but the other lay motionless. All around them were the fallen heartless.   
  
There was no one else but her while the Town around her crumbled. Again, the hideous sound of the Heartless had begun to move closer.   
  
She cradled Leon's head on her lap and held him tightly. She could hear him whispering. A weak "…r-un…" escaped his lips. But she stubbornly held onto him. She would not leave him.   
  
The Heartless were close now. Very close. When she looked up, the street had turned black where they stood. Sneering at her and at her loss. There were about a hundred.   
  
Yuffie closed her eyes and pressed her head against Leon's. She was trembling with fright, but she refused to let them see that. She waited for them to attack.   
  
All of a sudden, there was an explosion from behind the ranks of Heartless, throwing scores of them off their feet. The confused creatures turned toward their rear, only to meet another explosion and another until the remaining Heartless were less than twenty. They scampered out of the way of a roaring engine coming from the other side of the street.   
  
On a strange, three-wheeled truck came a familiar worn-face. He held bombs in his hands as he drove his vehicle through the Heartless, crushing any that stood in his way. He halted just before where the surprised Yuffie sat.   
  
"I've been looking all over for you!" He growled. "Get in the truck!" Yuffie scampered inside, while Cid leaned over to roughly lift Leon up by the collar and drop him at the back of the truck. Yuffie hurried to make the landing as soft as possible, she would have to talk to Cid later about his rough methods.   
  
"Careful, CID!" She cried, securing Leon's head on her lap.   
  
Cid reappeared with the other survivor and dumped him into the truck as well. "Later, we have to get out or we all don't get out." He jumped in the drivers seat and the vehicle sped away. The Heartless ran after them, but were too slow.   
  
As they cleared the town, Yuffie stroked Leon's hair gently just listening to his labored breathing. He was alive; they'd still be together.   
  
-------   
  
From the moment the reached the Gummi Ship, Yuffie had busied herself helping the injured. Aeris had tended their wounds and saw that Leon's condition was stable. Being a bit more competent in the kitchen than being a nurse, Yuffie stayed in the kitchen to prepare meals for the survivors.   
  
After serving them, she'd wash the dishes and the utensils. Something she normally never did back in Traverse Town. But things have changed all of a sudden. Their normal, happy life was taken from them without warning. She slapped the water all of a sudden, letting the soapy suds splash onto her face.   
  
This has been her technique to bring her thoughts away from the sadness of losing their home. Again.   
  
It wasn't until later when Aeris appeared in the kitchen. Her face was pale and worn. But she kept a brilliant smile on her lips that Yuffie always admired. Yuffie smiled and approached her friend. "Aeris, do you want to eat now? I saved mashed potatoes and chicken soup for us."   
  
"That's nice, Yuffie. I'll have them later. I just came here to see how you were doing."   
  
Yuffie stretched her arms and pretended to flex her muscles. "Aw, I'm doing fine! But you look tired, are you sure you don't want to eat yet?" She had to smile to mirror the always-happy exterior that Aeris showed. Hoping that both their energy would help ease the suffering of their companions.   
  
Aeris shook her head again. "Okay, after I do one more round. You don't have to wait for me, though."   
  
"Come on Aeris, you haven't had a bite since we got here. And that was like---a long time ago."   
  
"Twelve hours." Aeris corrected.   
  
"Right! I've been snacking a couple of times now." Yuffie confessed. "In a few minutes we'll be preparing another meal. I have no idea what time of day it is."   
  
Aeris folded her arms across her chest. "Yuffie, you better tell them to use our rations wisely. We're not sure when we would find a new world to settle in."   
  
The younger girl nodded. "Yeah! I'll tell them."   
  
Aeris' face suddenly lit up. "Hey, Leon's awake."   
  
The news was music to Yuffie's ears.   
  
"Why don't you bring him something to eat? I'll join you after I've checked on the patients." Aeris patted Yuffie's shoulder and left the kitchen.   
  
As soon as she was alone, Yuffie started to bring out the pans and pots. Heating the mashed potato and soup. She even threw in extra slices of bread and cheese and a piece of savory sausage. She arranged them on a metal tray and swiftly carried it out toward the cabin where Leon stayed.   
  
When she reached the cabin, she tapped on the door softly and entered. The room was dark, with a single candle by the bedside. Leon was sitting up, bandaged on his chest and left arm. He looked toward her when she set the tray on a small table.   
  
"Hey," she said. "I got you something to eat." Her voice was choked. Somehow, it became difficult to contain her tears while looking at her friend.   
  
She didn't know why she was crying at that moment. Perhaps all that splashing of water, trying to repress all her emotions, pretending to be strong had finally taken it's toll on her. Or, maybe she was just happy to see Leon was all right.   
  
Or both.   
  
A moment later, she found herself running toward him. Leapt onto the bed and encircled his waist with her arms. She cried freely now.   
  
"I was so worried about you!" She wept. In her mind she could clearly remember the scenario in the alleyway. Seeing Leon on the ground was a shock to her. She hugged him tighter, the horror of losing him relived itself. "I was afraid that you were going to---"   
  
"It's okay." Leon said, laying a hand on her head.   
  
"What happened? What caused the explosion?" Yuffie asked meekly. Tears still flowed from her eyes, however, she had reasonably calmed down.   
  
"It was an accident. Someone cast a Flare spell, he didn't notice the gas tanks nearby."   
  
Yuffie remembered the other man who fought with Leon. He was dead. Leon would have been killed too. "That's dangerous."   
  
"Yeah." Leon readjusted himself on the bed, so that his back was propped against the wall. "Maybe it was luck that there were too many Heartless at that moment. They must have taken the burnt of the blow."   
  
Yuffie responded by holding him firmer. "I'm not going to let go of you anymore. You're very important to me and I don't want to lose you. Even Aeris." They fell silent for a few seconds. Yuffie yawned. The soft bed made her realize how tired she herself was.   
  
"You know," she said sleepily, "I punched Cid on the nose."   
  
Leon chuckled. "You what?"   
  
"Yeah. After he found us on the alley, he picked you up by the collar and dumped you into his truck."   
  
"Idiot, he's just trying to help."   
  
"But it was too rough!" Yuffie protested. "He could have made your injuries much worse!" She rested her head on his chest again. "I'm not going to let anyone hurt you."   
  
She promised. They were the only ones she's ever had.   
  
Later, sleep came over her. It was a long, comfortable sleep.   
  
-----------------   
  
_**Notesies:** Poor Leon, all beaten up for the past two parts ;_; Thanks to all those who've posted a review :) BTW, I believe that this story would be best viewed as an "alternate universe" fic. One more persona to go, then we're off to another world! :) _


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